The Big Carrot has been an establishment in the Danforth community for 35 years. It has been a place where customers who are looking for organic, non-GMO, and local products can come and be satisfied every time.
After being so successful for more than three decades, it only made sense to open a new location and continue to grow in another community.
On June 21, The Big Carrot’s second location opened at 125 Southwood Dr. at the corner of Kingston Road and Main Street in the Beaches community.
“Since then it has been really amazing, we’re really enjoying being in a new neighbourhood,” said Sarah Dobec, the marketing manager at The Big Carrot. “The customer base is similar but it’s been so nice getting to know our new neighbours and learning their preferences.”
Along with a new location, The Big Carrot has also introduced new brand identity, which “evokes the heritage, experience and expertise already engrained into the DNA of the existing brand,” as stated in The Big Carrot press release. “It is reflective of exciting, new beginnings, as well as our humble inception,” the release concluded.
The Big Carrot was the first of its kind in 1983, being a health food store that offered one-stop shopping with a vegetarian deli, bulk foods, organic produce and a selection on wholesome groceries. Since then, the organic industry has been growing rapidly, “We see a lot of competition in other small retailers and even bigger box stores; the organic food demand is definitely there,” Dobec explained. “However, our store is unique, we’re really proud of our food standards and the products in our store. Our customers know that we really live up to those standards.”
Dobec continued to express her hopes for the future of the store, “The customers on the Danforth really built a community around the store, and we hope to duplicate that with our Beaches community, and will continue to expand and open more stores. The community we’ve built, it’s really unique.”
The Beach Community Market is approximately 6,000 sq. ft. and offers the same departments as the Danforth location, focusing on fresh ‘grab ‘n go’ foods, an organic smoothie/coffee bar, and a smaller selection of grocery, personal care, and dispensary items. This location will also prohibit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles, 2L and under.
